Qantas flexible on pet travel rules after WA welfare groups claim heat policy was leaving animals stranded

Qantas says it will be more flexible when it comes to flying pets around regional WA following calls its extreme weather policy was leaving animals stranded. The airline on Friday announced the Qantas Freight booking system would now allow pet travel for extreme weather days on early or evening flights when temperatures have cooled. The policy states pets are not able to travel if the temperature is forecast to be over 35C. WA-based animal welfare group Saving Animals from Euthanasia had called on Qantas to be more flexible in its policy, claiming it was stranding pets in places like Karratha and impacting the group’s ability to re-home rescue animals to Perth. Qantas said it had consulted with the RSPCA about what changes could be made to make the system more flexible. “The safety and welfare of the animals we transport is paramount and we’re pleased to find a way of increasing opportunities for customers to use our service without compromising on our high standards of care,” Qantas Freight executive Penny Ford said. “Heat stress is incredibly harmful and potentially fatal for an animal, and we remain committed to upholding our industry-best approach to assessing appropriate flight options.” Previously, the freight system would rule out any pet bookings on days set to be over 35C. Qantas said it was using new technology and independent weather data to determine on the day at what time it would be best to transport live animals. The call for a change by SAFE made its way to Melbourne for Qantas’ annual general meeting in November, with the charity arguing the extreme weather policy — which is in line with international standards and endorsed by the RSPCA — was too rigid. Chairman Richard Goyder told the AGM that the airline would see if changes could be made for regional areas that see more extreme weather. SAFE founder Sue Hedley said the use of technology to enable more flexibility in the bookings system was “lifesaving” and would help move animals across the country’s largest State. “We knew that Qantas had the animals’ best interests at heart but it meant that in the hotter months animals in the north could not fly south,” she said. “SAFE relies on the larger population in Perth to rehome homeless cats and dogs so that euthanasia is not their only option.” Qantas emphasised it was not changing the limits set for its extreme weather policy for animals. This was largely to prevent heat stress for the animals, which could be sitting on the tarmac while baggage and freight is being loaded on to the plane. Ms Ford added the changes were “practical and appropriate” responses for travel.